//------------------------------//
// 13 
// Story: Book 1 - The Behemoth came to Canterlot 
// by Equimorto 
//------------------------------//

"Worried about her?"
"Of course I'm worried about her," Celestia replied, refusing to stop pacing back and forth.
"I'm sure she will be okay," said Luna. "It's Twilight Sparkle we're talking about. You should have learned to have faith in her by now."
"She reminds me of myself," Celestia said, still walking without aim. "Too much. Especially when she left. She's not supposed to be like this."
Luna couldn't help but smile at that. "She was your student, after all. And she is in your place now. You can't be too surprised."
Celestia exhaled annoyed from her nose, flaring her nostrils. "She doesn't need to make the same mistakes I made. She shouldn't. She knows that, she's smart enough to know it."
Luna tried to approach her sister. "You remind me of myself, you know? When I came back."
"What do you mean?" Celestia finally stopped walking, though only because the path was blocked by the other alicorn.
"You want to blame yourself," Luna explained. "If Twilight acts differently and succeeds, then it means you didn't need to act the way you did. It means you were wrong. That's what you want, isn't it?"
"If I want Twilight to be a better pony than I was? Of course," Celestia said, almost dismissively. "That's what any teacher wishes for. That's what any sane ruler would want, leaving the country in hooves better than their own."
"But you don't want just that," Luna pressed on. "You don't just want her to be good, or better than you. You want her to prove you were wrong. You want her to prove you made mistakes and took decisions you shouldn't have. You want her to prove you didn't need to do what you did."
"So what?" Celestia asked, stepping past Luna. "I admit it, I want proof the world is a good place. I want proof there is a better way to do things. I want proof that what I did isn't a necessity, because I don't want a world where that kind of thing is the only way." She turned her head back towards her sister. "Is that so bad?"
"No," Luna replied. "But knowing there was a better way doesn't mean you were a bad ruler or teacher. Knowing you could have done things differently doesn't mean what you did makes you a bad pony. You should stop wanting that." She approached Celestia. "You should stop wanting her to hate you. You know she doesn't want to."
"Maybe it's what I deserve," Celestia replied, simply. 
"Maybe. But she doesn't," Luna replied back, sternly.
Celestia sighed, and turned. "None of this will matter if she doesn't come back."
"You'll go after her if she doesn't, won't you?" asked Luna.
"Of course I will. She would do the same for me."
"I thought you weren't trying to be like her." Luna kept walking, keeping up with Celestia. "What do you expect me to do, if you don't come back either?"
"Do the right thing," Celestia replied. "Close the portal. You'll be a better ruler for Equestria than I would be, anyway."
Luna sighed. "She'll be back. I have faith in her, and so should you."